Hysteria
by alwaysbringback-up
Summary: Dr. Maura Isles prides herself on being able to fix her best friend's cuts bruises and the like, but there are some things that even she can't fix. And this? This was one of them. ONE-SHOT


**_A/N: Not much to say about this one. It's a One-shot. Not the least bit fluffy. I hope you still get something out of it , though._**

* * *

Maura visibly flinched, her head jerking up from the elegant script before her, as her body instinctively reacted to the loud, though slightly muffled auditory stimulus. She kneaded at her temples for a long moment, before closing her eyes and letting out a soft sigh. She could feel the beginnings of a headache, and relocated her free hand to the back of her neck, meticulously working the muscles one by one. She'd been staring at the black and white script for too long. Even with her reading glasses perched on her nose, she was starting to see double. It was time for a break. She just needed to finish the one thought she'd been in the middle of before being so unceremoniously interrupted. She let another sigh and looked down, scanning quickly for where she'd left off moments before. She'd just started writing once again, when another loud bang jolted her from her focus again. She let out a soft mewl of displeasure when she discovered that she'd smudged the ink.

She pushed back her chair and quickly stood up. Her heels clacked against the floor as she walked briskly over to her door, and threw it open. She was going to give whomever it was making such a racket a piece of her mind. Her jaw was already opening, her lungs already filling with oxygen, when the door to the morgue flew open and Maura jumped back, clearly startled at the unforeseen intrusion.

It only took her a second to take in the scene before her. Though, if she was honest, it took her longer than usual. She found herself getting distracted as she watched drops of blood hit the floor.

One look at Jane with her slumped lifeless posture, held up only by Frankie and Korsak, and Maura knew this was worse than usual. She couldn't even see Jane's face. The Detective's eyes were downcast, with her unruly curly raven locks shielding much of Jane's beautifully angular profile. It was always hard to watch. Time after time, Jane had been brought to her with injuries, usually things that Maura could fix. It was often a split lip, or a dislocated shoulder. Sometimes, a cut that needed stitching. But no matter how small the injury, it was still difficult. Because it was her best friend, and because it was a reminder that Jane's life was on the line every day.

* * *

Today, as she watched Jane's feet drag on the floor, she knew it was going to be harder than usual.

"What happened?" Maura asks with a surprisingly steady voice, though her whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

Korsak and Frankie look like they are both in shock. She sees both of their jaws work themselves furiously, but no words ever make it out of their mouths.

"Vince!" She tries again, a little more forceful than last time.

But it's Frankie who answers.

"She's been stabbed," Frankie's voice cracks. "We didn't see that the guy had a shiv, until…. until it was too late."

"Hurry! Get her up on the table!" Maura orders as she rushes for a pair of gloves and her suturing kit (in hopes that the wounds are superficial enough that she can fix it). "Did either of you call for an ambulance?!" Maura questions as she quickly hits the intercom button. She can only hope that they did call for an ambulance because Jane was losing a lot of blood.

"We need an ambulance here, now! Detective Rizzoli has been stabbed," she says before rushing over to where Frankie and Korsak are still trying to figure out how to position Jane on one of the empty autopsy tables, so that Maura can get to her injuries.

"Here, let me help!" she offers, trying to help them maneuver Jane onto the table stomach down.

"Jane?!" Maura's voice is gentle but firm as she speaks the woman's name. Countless seconds tick by with no response, and Maura's fingers dart to Jane's neck, feeling for a pulse. The feeling that settles in her stomach when she realizes that Jane is far into the stages of shock, is nearly enough to topple her. But she holds fast. "Jane, can you hear me?"

"She passed out pretty soon after…after we pulled him away from her," Korsak's voice is gruff, emotional.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Frankie whispers.

"Did you…" Maura has to force herself to try again as her voice shakes. "Did you pull it out? Because you both _know_ better! How many times do I have to tell you?!"

"We didn't have a choice, Maura!…I mean…Dr. Isles," Frankie stutters. "We had to! It was…was too close to her…."

Maura is quick as she grabs the scissors to cut Jane's blood drenched shirt from her body. Frankie lovingly pulls Jane's raven colored locks out of the way as the scissors near Jane's collar.

Slowly, Maura peels the fabric from Jane's body.

And Maura can't stop the gasp that falls from her lips as she sees the placement of both wounds. The amount of blood leaking from the first of two puncture wounds, is making it almost impossible to see, and Maura's stomach churns at the sight of blood escaping Jane's body. The torrent is so dark and viscous it looks black.

"Oh, god," Maura whispers.

Maura grabs the gauze and furiously starts packing the first of the two stab wounds, trying to curtail the blood flow. With a fresh bunch of gauze she furiously starts wiping the blood away from Jane's back, silently praying that she is wrong about the other wound's placement on Jane's back. Maura's fingertips work furiously to find the exact placement of the second stab wound and freeze. The second entrance wound is not more than two centimeters to the right of Jane's spine. And if, and this was a _big_ if, the shiv had gone into Jane's back at an angle, there was a good chance that the makeshift knife had transected Jane's spinal cord.

"Where's the weapon?" Maura asks in an even, almost detached voice. "Frankie!" Frankie jolts out of whatever daydream he'd been in, as Maura's voice becomes harsh, discordant. "Where's the shiv! I need to see it!" Frankie is shaking as he pulls out the shiv. He suddenly looks very pale, and she worries that he might faint.

_No time to worry right now_. Maura thinks.

It's in an evidence bag, and Maura snatches it from his hand. He watches as she quickly measures out the distance between the tip of the shiv to where the blood leaves off at the handle. Because, that's the distance that the shiv penetrated Jane's body.

And it's not good news.

Maura suddenly can't breathe. Because it's entirely possible that the knife transected Jane's spinal cord, and Jane is now paralyzed because of it.

_Oh, God, please let me be wrong!_ Maura pleaded silently.

"No," Maura whispered, her whole body freezing. "No. Anything but this. I can't _fix_ this." Then. "Jane, I'm so sorry. But I can't...I can't _fix_ this."

"Maura," Frankie's voice is pleading. "Is Janie gonna be okay? She's still bleeding! _Please_. Do… Do something."

"Has she moved her legs?" Maura's voice cracks harshly. Her vision has blurred. Her eyes and her throat burn, and it takes everything left in her not to let those tears free.

"I…" Frankie's jaw is working furiously again. "She… She couldn't walk. But I…I thought it was just because of the pain, you know?"

Maura quickly jumps up, adrenaline suddenly coursing through her body. She has to know. She has to know if Jane is paralyzed. Maura ceases to breath as she runs her fingertips and hands over Jane's back, along the musculature, palpating and counting the bony processes in Jane's spine, all the while hoping for any sort of a response from Jane.

She counts off the vertebrae in her head. First, it's the cervical vertebrae, C1 through C7 in Jane's neck, and then she continues counting out Jane's thoracic vertebrae (T1-T12) as she gets closer to Jane's stab wound. And finally, she runs out of space.

If the shiv had transected Jane's spinal cord, it was between the L2 and L3 vertebrae.

Maura squeezes her eyes shut for a long moment, trying to gather her thoughts. She put so much stock in science and facts, but none of that was helpful to her. Not in this situation. Not when Maura couldn't compartmentalize like any doctor should. _But it's Jane!_

Maura swallows hard as she grabs the gauze and starts to pack the second wound. She's starting to worry that Jane might bleed to death.

The finally, like music to her ears, Jane groans.

"Jane?" Maura's eyes shoot to Jane's face. Maura straightens up and moves up Jane's body. With gentle, loving touches, she pulls Jane's hair away from her face. "Jane? Love?" Maura barely breathes the second term of endearment. "Hey! Jane, can you hear me?" Jane groans again.

"Maur?" Jane's raspy, sleep filled voice is like heaven to her ears.

"I'm here," Maura can't help but breathe with a smile. "I'm right here, Jane," Maura repeats with a squeeze of Jane's hand.

"Hurts," Jane mumbles, still groggy.

"Yeah," Maura chokes out, as tears brim in her eyes. "Yeah, I know." Then. "Can you tell me where you hurt?" Maura asks.

"M' back," Jane groans, shifting on the table. "God, my body feels like it's on fire."

"Okay," Maura breaths. "Okay." Maura takes a deep breath and steels herself. "Jane, I need you to do something for me, okay? But I don't want you to think too much about it. Just….do the best that you can, in this moment."

"Okay," Jane replies, with her eyes still closed.

"Can you move your legs for me?" Maura asks. "Can you wiggle your toes?" Maura forces her eyes from Jane's face and to the brunette's legs and feet, waiting for moment, but the only movement Maura sees is in Jane's upper body.

"Hand me one of those needles!" Maura commands in a hushed voice. Frankie and Korsak remain frozen, both too deep inside their own heads to hear Maura.

Maura grabs the needle herself and rushes to Jane's feet. Carefully, firmly enough to apply pressure to the tactile receptors, but not firmly enough so as to draw blood, Maura pokes the needle into the proper areas on Jane's feet, hoping for a reflexive response. Maura's eyes frantically search for a twitch of the musculature in response. Either that, or Jane should be yelling at her, complaining about the sensation of a needle piercing her skin. But Jane says nothing.

The truth is Maura has always prided herself on being right, and on letting the facts speak for themselves, but right now she would give anything to be wrong. Just. This. Once.

_Why couldn't I be wrong?_ Maura wants to scream.

Of one thing she was sure. No, matter what transpired in the next thirty seconds. She would be there for Jane. _No matter what_.

If Jane was paralyzed, Maura would take Jane into her home. She would help with physical therapy. She would try to help Jane hold on to her sense of identity. But most of all? She would offer her unconditional love and support.

Because she loves Jane Rizzoli, and a transected spinal cord sure as hell didn't change that.

For a moment, she prays that Jane has merely dozed off again.

Maura moves up Jane's body, checking the brunette's pulse again. It's weak and thready, Jane's blood pressure is bottoming out. She's circling the drain. And for the first time in her life, Maura Isles doesn't know what to do.

Maura can hear the sirens through the bay doors. They won't be long now.

_Thank god!_

"Jane?" Nothing.

"Jane?" Maura tries again. She shakes Jane's shoulders as gently as she can. "Jane, you with me?"

"Hmm?" Jane replies.

"Are you moving your feet for me, Jane?" Maura questions. "Because I think I lost you for a minute there." Then. "Just try to wiggle your toes, okay?"

"Yeah, Maur, I'm moving em' "


End file.
